Cover cloth



Jan. 21, 1958 W. C. HITCHCOCK ErAL 2,820,721

covERcLoTH Filed April 28, 1955 ATTORNEY United States Patent COVER CLOTH Walter C. Hitchcock, Summit, N. I., and George C. Holroyd, Hogansville, Ga., assignors to United States Rubger Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New ersey Application April 2S, 1955, Serial No. 504,618

3 Claims. (Cl. 117-72) This invention relates to novel cover cloths for use on ironing boards, pressing machines, and the like, and more particularly to a non-woven heat resistant cover cloth formed predominately of asbestos fibers.

Pressing machines are used for pressing dry cleaning such as suits, dresses, etc. and wash goods such as shirts, dresses, etc., and other articles of wear. Ironing boards are used in the home to press or iron various articles of laundry and clothing. The cover cloth contemplated by the present invention was developed primarily for use upon pressing machines, ironing boards, and the like.

Pressing machines are provided with a work supporting fixed member called a buck and a movable pressing member called a head The buck in pressing machines comprises a table-like member having a convexed yielding upper face which is usually covered with some form of textile or other padding, and over this padding is secured a cover cloth. The head has a concaved work engaging surface formed of metal, and this surface may or may not be covered with a cover cloth.

Ironing boards consist of an elongated board or similar member that is supported by suitable means such as legs. The elongated board-like member forms a work supporting surface, and this surface is usually covered withsome form of textile or other padding, and over this padding 4is secured a cover cloth.

Pressing machines of the type used for dry cleaning are operated at a temperature of about 240-275 F., and of the type used to press laundry are operated at a temperature of about 300340 F. The irons used on home ironing boards are operated at widely varying elevated temperatures. These temperatures cause a cover cloth made of cotton to deteriorate rapidly, so that it soon becomes unsatisfactory for use and must be replaced.

It has therefore been proposed heretofore to use asbestos cover cloths'formed of interwoven asbestos yarns, and such a cloth has proven very satisfactory; Foster U. S.

Patent No. 2,180,515, relates to such a cloth. The service life of such a cover cloth is several times that of cotton cover cloths, and the quality of the work produced on such cover cloths meets dry cleaning standards.

However such cover cloths are relatively costly. The

present invention contemplates a cover cloth formed i ice linen, shirts, handkerchiefs and the like, because it is less. likely to leave a coarse impression of the cover on the work when the latter is ironed.

To manufacture the ironing and pressing cover of this invention, a mass of asbestos bers is assembled as a Vfeltecl sheet. This sheet is impregnated with a binder which serves to hold the fibers together and hence to give the sheet strength. The sheet containing the fibers also carries a surface coating that is adapted to provide an enhanced ironing or pressing surface for the cover.

The felted sheet which is to form the non-woven fabric of this invention, preferably is made of a major proportion of asbestos fibers and a minor proportion of a carrier liber, such as cotton, rayon, glass etc., whose inclusion in minor percentages is helpful in forming a sheet of uniform thickness. This sheet may be made -by any of several methods which, essentially, dispose the fibers more or less randomly n a sheet of uniform thickness. For example several layers of card web may be superposed Lto obtain a fabric of the desired weight and thickness. Or .the web produced by a garnetting machine may be used. Several types of machines have been designed specifically to produce webs with substantially no orientation of the fibers in the web, and these machines are described in the literature and are available `on the market. (For example, see The Random Web Process, Curlator Corporation, Textile Division, East Rochester, New York, Bulletin No. 102.) A felted sheet of fibers in which there is substantially no orientation of the individual fibers is `preferred for the sheet of this invention, because a cover cloth can be made from such a sheet that will have substantially the same strength in all directions of the cover cloth.

To make the cover cloth of this invention there is produced a sheet of this type, and having sufficient weight of fibers that a finished cover cloth having a weight of from .12 to 18 ounces per square yard and a thickness of from .020" to .040 can be made therefrom. This sheet is impregnated with a binder which serves to bond the fibers in the sheet together to form a permanent structure. Preferably the sheet contains a relatively small quantity of binder in'its interior, so that the finished cover cloth may be as flexible as possible. A higher ratio of binder weight to fiber weight may be provided at the surface of the fabric to prevent the fibers from shedding or adhering to the object being ironed.

`One specific cover cloth is obtained by impregnating a fiber sheet of the requisite weight with a exible, water insoluble synthetic resinous binder, and thereafter by applying to the sheet a different surface coating which is adapted to lay the surface fibers to prevent linting and to form a wear resistant ironing and pressing surface thereon. The impregnated and surface coated sheet may be calendered to render the surface of the ironing cover smooth so that it is adapted for use in the highest quality ironing and pressing operation.

For a better understanding of the nature of this invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification:

Fig. l is a cross-sectional view through an ironing surface such as an ironing board or the buck of a conventional pressing machine;

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of a piece of cover cloth in accordance with this invention partially enlarged to illustrate the fabric of this invention; and

Fig. `3 is a Vschematic cross-sectional .viewthrough The `cover cloth 12 inl accordancek with this. invention n is illustratedsomewhat fancifully in Fig..2 of .the drawing wherein a portion of `the-cover'cloth 12 is greatly enlarged at '13. As illustrated in this enlarged area, the cover cloth in accordance withthisinvention is produced of a sheet of fibers 14 which are vrandomly disposed -in the fabric. A binder, as indicated by the shading, binds the several individual'fibers to each other so'that the whole coheres together in a ,permanent structure.- `Re-` ferring tovFig. 3 it will beseen thatk the cover cloth 12 comprisesthe sheet of fibers 14 which lareuimpregnated n llincludes a minor proportion of acellulosic carrier `fiber such asA cotton or rayon.. K

For a `satisfactory cover.. cloth, the binder'offrthis invention Ashould beflexible, Water insoluble, and/stable at the elevated. temperatures of use.` Various synthetic resins aresatisfactory for this binder, and thermoplastic resins are-especially suitable. Acrylic resins, for example polymerized methylmethacrylate, form excellent binders. Other thermoplastic materials such as Apolystyrene, polyvinyl buty'ral, yisobutylene-acrylonitriler copolymer, etc. would be. satisfactory.- Thermosetting resins', because of their greater'heat stability,.have obviousl added advantages as..a binder forv thecover cloth of this invention, but 1 manyxthermosetting resinst lack( therequisiteexibility for use. asathebinder of this invention. However, thermosetting resins areknown` which possess the4 requisite .flexibility for the; binder. in thelcover: cloth of vthisI invention,: andfthese resins -may 'be used. For example, re'sorciuol V formaldehyde. resin dissolved in an aqueous emulsion. of neoprene syntheticl rubber. may: be used.. Other suitable flexible, water.l insoluble,4 synthetic resinous binders will occur to1those; skilled in the art.

As* pointed Youtabove.. the cover cloth "12 contains a minimum of. thishinder so asto retain maximum' flexibilityinthe. finished cover cloth. The cover cloth may carry a ygreaterzarnount:of binder onone Vor both. surfaces to formV a wear resistant' ironingnsurfacefon. the Cover; cloth.; .However, itis; found '.thatthis wearresist antironing andpressingsurface. can vhefprovidedby giving they cover. cloth'a.surfacecoatinginfplacefofthe. excess .binder in the. surfaceandtthis; is; preferred.; Various heat and wear resistant:surface-:coating:materialsgare available and canbe used For. example. aninsolubilized polyvinylY acetal resin, such as:.polyyinyl butyraL which is insolubilizedV by reactionwith a;melamineffcirmaldel-Y hydel or a urea formaldehyde, may. befused.;

From the foregoing it is believed suitablermethodsof manufacture Yof the. product of, thisinventionpwilllreadily occur-to those skilled .ingthisaart In: one specifici. method which has been employed, the webf .of fiberswk as received from aA suitable;V machine. is :enclosed bemeen a apair of screens which semeftogsupportf thebersf during .produc` tion of the nishedovercloth. Thesweblof;fiberssups..

ported in this manner is advanced through a bath containing the .binder in an aqueous emulsion, thence through a bath containing the surface forming material and thence to drying and/or curing apparatus to dry and/or cure the binder and surface coating material. If it is desired to enhance the smoothness of the surface Vof the cover cloth in accordance with this invention, the cover. cloth may be calendered after the binder and surface coating have been applied, and either before or after any curing, such as the curing of the surface coating resin, occurs. The product is thenrready to `be cut to the necessary pattern for an ironing orpressing cover. Ifthe finished cover cloth is not sufficiently porous for any specifiedl use, such as the cover cloth for a dry cleaning press, its

porosityrnaybe suitablyfincreasedby perforatingtheV finished cover cloth in1anobvious manner.V

cover cloth of this invention.l A sheet of randomly dis- .posed vfibers isfpreparedj fromfa fiber mixture of asbestos and 20% rayon, such that the fibers Weigh 174 ounces per square` yard. This sheety is impregnated with approximately 5%, based on the weight of the fiber mixture, of an aqueous emulsion of polymethyl methacrylate, 25% total solids.' This binder is appliedA by advancing the weblofribersrsupported on a wire screenthrough a bathv of the. emulsion, and thence Vthrougha pair of squeeze rolisto remove fthe excess emulsion. Thereafter a surface-.f'coatingzTof; about 3% based'on-'the .weight of the fiber mixture ofgzthe .followingfor'mulation v'isapplied:

, Percent Plasticized polyvinyl: butyral emulsion (50% totalsolids)v 5.00

Melamine formaldehyde resin (80% total solidssolution). f 0.25 Diammoniumphosphate 0.05 Highmelting.,waxt(3r3,% emulsion) 2.50 Aquaammonia.(28.%NH3) 1:25 Water Y 90.195 100.00

This surface coating isappliedby advancing thebrous sheet containing lthebinder through a bathof thisformuf lation, and thence. throughpa pair of squeeze rollsto remove the excess.. Thereafterv thecover cloth. is, dried, calendered, and cured.

Having thus described. our.invention, what. Wefclaim and desireto protect by Letters Patent-is:

l. An ironing and pressing cover cloth adaptedto be used over a paddedworlc support,comprisingy afelted mass of predominantly asbestos bers forming a thin, flexible smooth surfaced non-.Woven fabric between .020" and .040 thick, said'feltedfmass including. a minor proportion of a carrier fiber, `said fabric Weighingbetween 12 and 18 ounces persquare `yard, a flexible,.water insoluble synthetic. resinousbnderbonding the fibers in said felted mass together-toform a permanentstructure, and a heat and wear resistant surface coating on the said fabric laying the surface -fibers to prevent linting and-to form a wear resistant ironing and .pressing surface. s Y 2.: An ironingand: pressingcover cloth adaptedY toVV be used .over av padded work support, comprisingiafelted mass formed predominantly ofv asbestosbers 'between .0207 and* .0405.' thickforming; a thin, llexiblgysmooth surfaced non-Woven fabric, .saidfabric weighing between l2 andy 18 ounces per squareyard, af-exibleywater insoluble synthetic resinous binder bondingrtheflfibers in said fabric 'together to formi'a permanent structuregiand a flexible, heatand Wear: resistant surface: coatingofv insolubilized 'polyvinyl' acetalzresinA on'the said: fabric: ylaying the surface 'fibers vto preventlinting; and'etoforma wear resistant ironing: and? pressing ksurface V,thereonff 3.- An ironing: and pressing cover ycloth'adapted tofoe used .over .a'padded'work support,vv comprising afelted mass. of approximately 80%"asbestos bersf and 20% cell lulosic fibers between .020 and 1.040" thick `forming athin, flexible smooth surfacednon-Woven fabric, said fabric weighing between 12 and 18 ounces per square yard, a exible, Water insoluble, synthetic thermoplastic resinous binder bonding the bers in said fabric together to form a permanent structure, and a heat and wear resistant exible surface coating of polyvinyl acetal resin insolubilized by reaction with a resin selected from the group consisting of melamine formaldehyde resins and urea formaldehyde resin on the said fabric laying the surface bers to prevent linting and to form a wear resistant ironing and pressing surface thereon.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN IRONING AND PRESSING COVER CLOTH ADAPTED TO BE USED OVER A PADDED WORK SUPPORT, COMPRISING A FELTED MASS OF PREDOMINANTLY ASBESTOS FIBERS FORMING A THIN, FLEXIBLE SMOOTH SURFACED NON-WOVEN FABRIC BETWEEN .020" AND .040" THICK, SAID FELTED MASS INCLUDING A MINOR PROPORTION OF A CARRIER FIBER, SAID FABRIC WEIGHING BETWEEN 12 AND 18 OUNCES PER SQUARE YARD, A FLEXIBLE, WATER INSOLUBLE SYNTHETIC RESINOUS BINDER BONDING THE FIBERS IN SAID FELTED MASS TOGETHER TO FORM A PERMANENT STRUCTURE, AND A HEAT AN WEAR RESISTANT SURFACE COATING ON THE SAID FABRIC LAYING THE SURFACE FIBERS TO PREVENT LINTING AND TO FORM A WEAR RESISTANT IRONING AND PRESSURING SURFACE. 